A program to remove adware viruses. Best malware removal tools. Programs for cleaning the browser from viruses

Is your PC starting to malfunction? It might be home to malicious adware, Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs), or browser blockers. Malwarebytes AdwCleaner removes annoying objects that slow down your computer. Get rid of annoying adware for good and get your computer back to normal performance.

How can Malwarebytes AdwCleaner help you?

• Remove adware
• Remove unwanted toolbars and add-ons in browsers
• Remove Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP)
• Eliminate browser blockers

Learn more about Malwarebytes AdwCleaner features

Removing annoying toolbars, browser plugins installed with or without your consent, as well as unwanted ad display programs and hijackers that reconfigure the browser start page can be quite difficult work, especially when there is no convenient and effective tool at hand.

AdwCleaner is specially designed to help users get rid of these types of malware and unwanted software. The application is characterized by its small size and ease of use. AdwCleaner can be launched from absolutely any data carrier, including a portable one. the program does not require installation. Once launched, the utility automatically checks for traces of unwanted components or remnants of previous installations to be cleaned.

The scan results are presented as a text document. Thus, the user can view in detail the files and registry keys that should be destroyed. Clicking the "Clean" button will start the uninstallation process, which will end after the system reboots.

It should be noted a very important feature of the program - for AdwCleaner to work, you need to close all running applications, saving the corresponding changes. Also, rebooting the system during cleanup cannot be delayed.

An interesting feature of the program is the ability to remove it with one mouse click. The interface has a special button, when you click on it, the application is deleted from any medium on which it is recorded.

AdwCleaner successfully deals with a wide range of unwanted programs, removes ad blocks and removes the results of the work of hijackers used to change the home page of your web browser. The utility also finds effective use in removing various toolbars for web browsers, unwanted plugins, extensions and add-ons.

AdwCleaner does its job perfectly. If you ever need to uninstall a plugin, toolbar, adware utility, or other unwanted adware components, the app is a great solution.

Malwarebytes AdwCleaner System Requirements

The program is suitable for all versions of Windows OS starting from Windows XP, all 32 and 64 bit OS are also supported.

The free AdwCleaner program is designed to remove adware and potentially unwanted software from your computer. After removing such software, the security of your computer will increase.

Many users are often faced with the implicit installation of various unnecessary software on their computer. Toolbars and add-ons to browsers, ad modules and banners, toolbars, and similar programs penetrate the computer during installation or after launching programs downloaded from the Internet.

The user intends to install a specific program on his computer, but in the end he receives such an unexpected "gift" that he will not be happy at all. In some cases, the user himself passes such programs to his computer without unchecking the boxes in the corresponding items, without paying attention to this when installing the program. In other cases, such unwanted software enters the computer secretly, without any user notification.

To prevent the installation of unnecessary programs, you can use a program that will warn you about an attempt to install such unwanted software on your computer.

Often, such unwanted software, after being installed on a computer, behaves quite aggressively. Home pages in browsers change, new search engines appear, for example, such as the infamous Webalta, advertising banners, etc. Webalta secretly penetrates the computer, changes the start page in the browser, makes itself the default search engine, changes the properties of the shortcut for opening your page in the browsers installed on your computer.

To combat such unwanted programs, you can use the AdwCleaner program. The AdwCleaner program will scan your computer for adware and potentially dangerous software. Then you will receive a report, then you will be prompted to remove the found adware, malware, and other potentially unwanted programs after restarting your computer.

AdwCleaner successfully removes toolbars, toolbars, ad units, hijacker programs that change the browser home page, with other similar software. After cleaning is complete, your computer will be safer.

AdwCleaner does not need to be installed on your computer. It can be run from anywhere on the computer, from a connected disk or flash drive. The AdwCleaner utility has Russian language support and is used in the Windows operating system.

AdwCleaner download

The well-known antivirus company Malwarebytes acquired AdwCleaner. after that, there were changes in the interface and application settings.

The article is supplemented with an overview of the new version of Malwarebytes AwdCleaner.

Malwarebytes AwdCleaner Settings

Run the Malwarebytes AwdCleaner program. In the main application window, the sidebar contains several sections: "Control Panel", "Quarantine", "Report Files", "Settings", "Help".

To change application settings, open the "Settings" section. There are three tabs in the "Settings" section: "Application", "Exception", "Details".

The Application tab contains options for applying certain program parameters when restoring during basic system cleaning. Here it is possible to set stricter rules for scanning and cleaning the system, depending on the degree of problems encountered on this computer. You can uninstall AdwCleaner from here.

In the "Exceptions" tab, the user adds applications to the exceptions so that AdwCleaner ignores this data when scanning and cleaning.

The "Quarantine" section contains quarantined files.

From the "Report files" section, you can copy the report to Notepad to save on your computer, or to transfer to others.

Search for adware and unwanted programs in Malwarebytes AwdCleaner

In the main window of Malwarebytes AwdCleaner, under Control Panel, click on the Scan button to start a search for unwanted and adware software on your PC.

After completing the computer scan, the AdwCleaner window will display information about the detected threats.

First, click on the "View scan report" button to get detailed information about the detected objects. I advise you to read the report, as the program inserts in unwanted applications related to Mail.Ru.

Remove unwanted and adware programs in Malwarebytes AwdCleaner

In the main window of Malwarebytes AwdCleaner, you can uncheck the checkboxes opposite the files and folders found that you should not delete in your opinion.

After reviewing the information received, click on the "Clean and restore" button.

In the window with a warning about the restart, click on the first button, the restart will occur after the system is cleared of unwanted software.

Then another window will open in which you need to click on the "Restart" button.

After Windows starts, the Malwarebytes AwdCleaner window will open with information about the cleaning results. If necessary, you can repeat the search and remove unwanted applications again.

Removing unwanted programs in AdwCleaner (old version)

After downloading to your computer, run the AdwCleaner executable file. In the window that opens, you will need to click on the item "J'accepte / I Agree" to accept the terms of the license agreement.

The main window of the AdwCleaner program will open immediately after launch. The program is already running and is in the "Waiting for action" mode.

To start a search for potentially unwanted and malicious programs, in the AdwCleaner program, you will need to click on the "Scan" button. The program will start the process of searching for unwanted software by scanning services, folders, files, changed shortcuts, registry, browsers.

After completing the scanning process, you can look at the search results for the detected threats. To do this, you will need to open in turn the tabs "Services", "Folders", "Files", "Shortcuts", "Registry", "Internet Explorer" and other installed browsers, in order to get acquainted with the detected data.

Read carefully the scan result in each tab. The program may offer to delete folders and files that should not be deleted from the computer. This mainly applies to Yandex and Mail.Ru services, programs and extensions.

In the AdwCleaner program, the settings are made in such a way that along with the removal of unnecessary toolbars, panels and add-ons, other software related to Yandex and Mail.Ru will be offered for removal. For example, the Yandex.Disk client program or the visual bookmarks extension from Yandex.

Therefore, carefully look at the list of items found, so as not to remove add-ons or extensions that you use in your browser from your computer. Before deleting items, uncheck the boxes next to the corresponding items to prevent the removal of the programs you need.

In this image, you can see that I have unchecked the checkboxes opposite the corresponding items in order not to remove the Alexa Toolbar extension, which I myself installed in my Mozilla Firefox browser.

In order to view general information about the found data, you can click on the "Report" button.

Your computer scan report will open in notepad. If necessary, you can save this report on your computer. To do this, you will need to enter the "File" menu by selecting "Save As ..." in the context menu.

To remove potentially unwanted programs, in the main window of the AdwCleaner program, you will need to click on the "Clean" button.

Next, the "AdwCleaner - End Programs" window will open. You will be prompted to close all running programs, as well as save open documents on your computer. After finishing the programs and saving the documents, click on the "OK" button.

Then the "AdwCleaner - Info" window will open with information that will give you tips to prevent unwanted software from being installed on your computer. After reading this information, click on the "OK" button.

After that, the computer will shut down, then the computer restart process will take place. After restarting the operating system, a notepad will open with a report on the work done in the AdwCleaner program. If necessary, you can save this report on your computer.

The AdwCleaner program quarantines data deleted from the computer. If necessary, you can restore erroneously deleted data from quarantine.

Restoring data from quarantine

To restore data from quarantine, in the "Tools" menu, click on the "Quarantine Manager" item. This will open the "AdwCleaner - Quarantine Management" window.

To restore erroneously deleted items, you will first need to check the corresponding items, and then you will need to click on the "Restore" button.

You can uninstall the AdwCleaner program from your computer from the main program window with one click. To uninstall the program, you will need to click on the "Uninstall" button, after which the AdwCleaner program will be removed from your computer.

Conclusions of the article

The free AdwCleaner program will remove adware, malware and potentially unwanted software from your computer. After removing unwanted applications, the security of your computer will be increased.

Caught a virus in your browser, and now ads are constantly popping up? This is terribly annoying. And it is not so easy to cure a browser from viruses. They still need to be found, and many modern antiviruses simply do not see this infection. Actually, that's why you get pop-ups, and advertising pages are constantly opening (for example, Vulcan or other casinos).

So what if the browser is infected with a virus? Find and get rid of him 🙂. Especially for this, below are 6 effective ways to remove a virus from your browser. And as a bonus - a couple of useful tips on how to protect your computer or laptop from re-infection.

How do you know if your browser has been infected? This can be seen in the following symptoms:

Where do viruses appear in the browser?

Modern users very often install games, programs, extensions and generally do not watch what they are installing. Just click "Next, Next, Done" - and here's another adware virus quietly crept into your Windows system. As a result, pop-ups appear, advertising pages open, etc.

And in 99% of cases the user is to blame. Why? Yes, because usually the treatment of the browser from viruses is required after:

Here you can also add the lack of antivirus on a PC or laptop. Of course, it will not protect you from all viruses, but it will still detect and remove some. And if you think with your head and manually check suspicious files with an antivirus, this will help you avoid many problems. You can be sure of this.

How to clean your browser from viruses and ads

We figured out the causes and symptoms of viruses, now let's move on to the main thing. So how to get rid of adware virus in your browser? It all depends on what kind of infection you caught. However, below is a step-by-step instruction, following which you can cure your browser from various adware viruses.

It is universal and suitable for any Internet browser - Google Chrome, Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Yandex Browser, Microsoft Edge. So all users can use it.

So, to get rid of viruses in your browser, follow these steps:

Run a full scan of your PC or laptop with an antivirus

Check browser add-ons

Some extensions install themselves. Therefore, go to your browser and check if there are any add-ons that you did not install. It is also recommended to delete those that you are not using.

Check installed apps

To open them, go to Start - Control Panel - Programs and Features.

Sometimes malicious modules are installed like regular software (for example, Webalta). To remove a virus that launches ads in a browser, you just need to find it and remove it from this list.

Check your browser shortcut

If, after launching it, the Vulcan or other advertising site page immediately opens, then most likely the problem lies in the shortcut. Sometimes viruses register in the properties of the shortcut (in the "Object" field) the address of the site, which opens when the browser starts. To fix this problem, remove the shortcut and create a new one.

Check the hosts file

Also, many viruses edit this file. As a result, when you open a popular website, another one opens (outwardly, it looks the same, and you will not notice the difference). And then messages appear asking you to send SMS, pop-ups, aggressive ads, etc. There are two ways to remove this adware virus. The first is using the AVZ antivirus utility. And the second is done manually. For this:

1. Navigate to the path C: \\ Windows \\ System32 \\ drivers \\ etc.
2. Open the hosts file with notepad.
3. Delete unnecessary lines. A normal hosts file should look like this:

Programs for cleaning the browser from viruses

There are also special programs for removing viruses in the browser. They see what the antiviruses have missed and help get rid of malicious ad modules.

AdwCleaner

The first excellent program for cleaning the browser from ads and viruses is AdwCleaner (link to the official site).

This utility will perform a quick search for viruses in the browser and find all advertising toolbars, banners, malicious scripts. It also knows how to clean up shortcuts, files and registry.

Malwarebytes

Another effective program for cleaning browsers from viruses. It will quickly scan a PC or laptop and help get rid of pop-ups and annoying ads (link to the official site). It has more than enough capabilities to find a virus in your browser and remove it.

Browser protection from ads and viruses

And finally, as I promised, I will give you some useful tips on how to protect your browser from viruses:

1. Install an antivirus on your laptop or PC. You can free it. The main thing is not to forget to update it (or turn on auto-update). In half the cases, it will help you remove the virus from your browser. Or rather, to prevent infection. I recommend reading:.
2. Install a program to remove adware viruses. What antiviruses miss will be noticed by special utilities like AdwCleaner or HitmanPRO. With this combination, not a single infection will simply get through to your PC. And for your own peace of mind, periodically run a browser scan for viruses (for example, once a month).
3. Install a browser extension to block ads. It can be Adblock or Adguard - at your discretion. And if you want to turn off ads on your favorite site or blog (to support its owner financially), just add this web resource to the exception.

And most importantly: use your head! Do not download suspicious exe-files (especially if you need a movie in avi or mkv format), do not follow unknown links, do not go to dubious sites.

As they say, the best antivirus is the one on the other side of the monitor 🙂. That is, the user. If you violate the above rules, then no antivirus will help you. You need to be extremely careful on the Internet - remember this!

Finding out what the best malware removal tools are out there is not that hard. Upon request, applications can be easily found on the Internet that allow you to troubleshoot computer problems associated with a virus infection.

Such software is usually distributed free of charge or shareware.

Although its capabilities include fast search and guaranteed removal of malicious code and annoying ads, which well-known (and, most often, paid) antiviruses cannot always cope with.

Windows 10 built-in tool

The first way to get rid of malicious applications, which should be used by a regular Windows 10 user, involves running the already built-in Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool.

Sometimes it works automatically, but if a virus infection has already occurred, the tool is launched manually. You can find MMSRT in the System32 folder of the system drive, located in the System32 directory. The efficiency of the application is not very high, but at least half of the problems will be solved.

Figure: 1. Malware Removal Tool in Windows 10.

The benefits of using the product include:

• russian-language interface;
• intuitive control;
• no need to download additional software.

Among the disadvantages of the application are long scan times and low efficiency. And you can download it not only for Windows 10, but also for the 7th and 8th versions of the operating system. The update, numbered KB890830, is only 52.8 MB in size.

Fast and free AdwCleaner

One of the most famous and effective programs for removing unwanted applications from your computer is AdwCleaner. The advantages of using it include work in Russian, no need for installation on a computer, and constantly released updates that improve the quality of the system check.

In addition, after completing the scan, AdwCleaner provides the user with several recommendations on how to prevent infection with malicious code. And to run the utility, you just need to click the start scanning button, and after reviewing the results, set the settings and select the information to be deleted.

Figure: 2. Search for malicious code using the AdwCleaner utility.

The peculiarity of the application is that during the scanning process it is sometimes necessary to restart the computer. And after completion of work, a report is displayed on the screen, which can be saved as a text file.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free Extension Assistant

Figure: 3. The main window of the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware application

A simple yet effective Junkware Removal Tool

Figure: 4. Report on the operation of the Junkware Removal Tool utility.

The utility is accompanied by the creation of a system restore point. And during the scanning process, it automatically fixes problems and removes virus programs. The check ends with the creation of a detailed report on the problems found and their solutions.

CrowdIsnpect - search for unwanted processes in the system

Malicious applications can also be detected by the processes running on the system. This is the basis of the operation of the CrowdInspect utility, which scans the startup list and currently running services during operation. Using a constantly updated database of viruses and unwanted software, the program collects information about processes and compares it with a list of potential threats.

Figure: 5. Analysis of Windows processes using the CrowdInspect utility.

One of the results of the CrowdInspect system check is the display of a list of network connections and IP addresses, as well as the reputation of the sites to which they belong. Although only advanced users can figure out most of this information. For the rest, it is advisable to choose utilities to remove malicious code that automatically fix problems.

Shareware utility Zemana AntiMalware

In terms of the effectiveness of fighting viruses and unwanted extensions, Zemana AntiMalware is not inferior not only to other free utilities, but even to paid versions of some well-known antiviruses. The advantages of the program include the ability to search in the cloud, an intuitive Russian-language interface and real-time system protection. The paid Premium version has even more benefits.

Figure: 6. Search for malicious programs using the Zemana AntiMalware utility.

Zemana does a pretty good job of removing plugins from browsers, which often lead to pop-up advertisements. Although, to start the search for extensions, the program settings will have to be changed by going to the "Advanced" section.

And the disadvantages of the utility include shareware distribution - after 15 days you will have to pay for its use. Although usually a few hours are enough for a quick scan of the computer, after which the application is removed.

HitmanPro - maximum efficiency when removing plugins

Figure: 7. Work of the HitmanPro utility.

The program effectively removes most common viruses. And when checking browsers, it finds and fixes problems with extraneous extensions. After the scan is complete, the user is prompted to review the list of detected problems. And, if any of the marked files is not dangerous, according to the user, it can be removed from quarantine.

Spybot Search & Destroy - Increase PC Security

Figure: 8. Spybot Search & Destroy - search, elimination and prevention of problems.

Spybot is able to control changes to the registry and system information, thereby not only solving problems that have already appeared, but also providing prevention of possible problems. In addition, all changes made by the utility can be reversed - sometimes this helps to avoid crashes in Windows when a useful file is deleted along with a virus.

The most powerful, but slowest Dr.Web CureIt!

The most powerful and efficient utility is Dr.Web CureIt! , the advantages of which include the possibility of free use. After downloading the latest version of the application (the size of which exceeds 100 MB) and running it on a computer, after a few hours you can get a report on the work done and a system that is 99.9% virus-free.

It is CureIt that recommends using the technical support of some Internet providers. The application has only one drawback - you can use it only once. A few hours after the download, the next update comes out, and the old one stops working.

The advantages of the utility include not only a high level of efficiency in searching for malicious programs, but also the ability to download it again. After re-downloading from the manufacturer's official website, the application is again ready to detect viruses. At the same time, the databases have already been updated, and the search efficiency is increasing.

Figure: 9. Message about the need to update the Curelt utility.

Solving browser problems

In the process of removing viruses, you should pay attention to the shortcuts of the browsers - they are often the source of the problem. The malicious code is written in the properties of the shortcut and changes the launch method:

• sometimes, when entering the Internet, the user does not go to the main page, but to another site - most often phishing or advertising some services;
• along with the launch of the browser, an external plug-in may be installed that changes the search engine, home page and network settings.

You can fix the problem manually by checking your browser shortcuts. But the best way to do this is with utilities such as Shortcut Scanner. The free application checks logical and external drives for unwanted programs and detects suspicious or broken shortcuts.

The advantage of using this tool is free distribution and work on any modern Windows systems (from XP to 10), the disadvantage is the lack of a Russian-language version.

If the unwanted plugin has already been automatically installed in the browser, you can uninstall it through the extensions menu in the settings. Otherwise, instead of going to the selected pages, advertisements and extraneous resources will appear on the screen.

Most often, this problem occurs among users who have already installed a significant number of extensions and do not notice 1-2 unnecessary ones. If there are practically no plugins, it is easier to notice the new one and take measures to disable it. And in the absence of confidence that the add-on is in fact malicious, special utilities developed for specific browsers will help.

For Google Chrome, the official developers have created a utility called Cleanup Tool. It automatically checks for embedded malicious code every time you launch your browser.

If a problem is detected, the plugin is disabled along with other extensions. After that, the user can manually restore the add-ons he needs.

Figure: 11. Search for malicious code with Chrome Cleanup Tool.

For Mozilla Firefox and the standard Internet Explorer browser for older versions of Windows, there is a free Avast Browser Cleanup application.

The utility automatically scans two browsers (if there are any in the system), and as a result it produces a list of suspicious plugins. Antivirus software can be downloaded from the manufacturer's official website.

Figure: 12. Cleaning the browser from malicious code using Avast Browser Cleanup.

Similar in functionality and the same free utilities are released by other companies. Moreover, for different browsers and with a wide range of features. Some programs also provide effective real-time protection - however, most of them have a paid option.

conclusions

Using applications that remove unwanted software does not eliminate the need to install antivirus software. Each program performs its own tasks. Antivirus utilities protect the system almost constantly and prevent infection of system files.

And applications are needed to eliminate problems that have already appeared, mainly after the antivirus has proved to be ineffective. Using two options at once - installed and periodically launched utilities - will provide maximum protection efficiency. Although in order for the computer to be even more secure, it is desirable:

• follow the recommendations of antivirus utilities that issue warnings when entering suspicious resources;
• check with antivirus files downloaded or recorded from an external medium, the origin of which is unknown (for example, downloaded not from the official website, but from an outside web page);
• set the antivirus settings to automatically update the virus databases and launch the application manually at least once a week.

Preventing viruses and other types of malicious code from infecting your computer will reduce the likelihood of problems. Although, neither Curelt !, nor even a paid antivirus provides 100% protection.

Best Malware Removal Tools

It's worth starting with the fact that malware in this context (Malware) is not exactly viruses, but rather programs that display unwanted activity on a computer, installed without the knowledge of users and, moreover, they are difficult to remove.

We clean Windows from spyware, malware and files

In this video I will tell you how to clean your Windows computer from spyware and malware and files, as well as how to free up space on your hard drive from temporary files and how to clear the cache. Three free utilities will be reviewed

Perhaps the programs for fighting unwanted software and ads, which are described below and "more powerful" AdwCleaner, but I recommend starting the system scan and cleaning with this tool. Especially in the most common cases today, such as pop-up ads and automatic opening of unnecessary pages with the inability to change the start page in the browser.

The main reasons for recommending starting with AdwCleaner are that this tool for removing malware from a computer or laptop is completely free, in Russian, quite effective, does not require installation and is regularly updated (plus, after checking and cleaning, it advises how to avoid infection further: very good advice, which I myself often give).

Using AdwCleaner is as easy as shelling pears - launched the program, clicked the "Scan" button, examined the results (you can uncheck those items that, in your opinion, do not need to be removed) and clicked the "Cleanup" button.

The uninstallation process may require a computer restart (in order to uninstall the software that is currently running before it was started). And upon completion of cleaning, you will receive a full text report on what exactly was deleted. Update:.

The official page where you can download AdwCleaner for free is https://ru.malwarebytes.com/products/ (at the bottom of the page, in the section for specialists)

Note: AdwCleaner is now masking some of the programs it is designed to fight, be careful. And, if you download the utility from a third-party site, do not be lazy to check it on VirusTotal (virustotal.com online virus check).

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes (formerly Malwarebytes Anti-Malware) is one of the most popular programs for finding and then removing unwanted software from your computer. More details about the program and its settings, as well as about where to download it, can be found in the review.

Most reviews point to a high level of malware detection on a computer and its effective removal, even in the free version. After scanning, the detected threats are quarantined by default, then they can be removed by going to the corresponding section of the program. If you wish, you can exclude threats and not quarantine / delete them.

Initially, the program is installed as a paid Premium version with additional features (for example, real-time scanning), but after 14 days it switches to free mode, which continues to work great for manual scanning for threats.

From myself, I can say that during the check, the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware program found and removed the Webalta, Conduit and Amigo components, but did not find anything suspicious in the Mobogenie installed on the same system. Plus, I was confused by the scan duration, it seemed to me that it was long. The home version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free can be downloaded for free from the official website https://ru.malwarebytes.com/free/.

RogueKiller

RogueKiller is one of the anti-malware tools that has not yet been bought out by Malwarebytes (unlike AdwCleaner and JRT) and the search and threat analysis results in this program (available as a free, fully working, and paid version) differ from analogues , subjectively - for the better. Except for one nuance - the absence of the Russian interface language.

RogueKiller allows you to scan your system and find malicious items in:

• Running processes
• Windows Services
• Task scheduler (relevant lately, see)
• Hosts file, browsers, downloader

In my test, when comparing RogueKiller with AdwCleaner on the same system with some potentially unwanted programs, RogueKiller performed better.

If your previous attempts to combat malware have not been successful, I recommend trying:.

RKill

Sometimes, running malicious programs, as well as the changes they have made on the system, prevent the utilities listed here for removing unwanted software from running and access to the registry editor, task manager and other Windows tools. In order to eliminate this interference, you can use the RKill utility.

Details of what exactly RKill does and the features of using the tool are in the instructions.

Free Adware and Malware Removal Tool - Junkware Removal Tool (JRT) is another effective tool for fighting unwanted programs, browser extensions and other threats. Like AdwCleaner, it was acquired by Malwarebytes after growing in popularity for some time.

The utility works in a text-based interface and searches for and automatically removes threats in running processes, startup, files and folders, services, browsers and shortcuts (after creating a system restore point). Finally, a text report is generated for any unwanted software removed.

Update 2018: The official website of the program says that support for JRT will end this year.

CrowdIsnpect - tool for checking running Windows processes

Most of the utilities for searching and removing malicious programs presented in the review search for executable files on the computer, examine Windows startup, the registry, and sometimes browser extensions and display a list of potentially dangerous software (by checking its database) with a brief information on which threat was detected ...

In contrast, the Windows process checker CrowdInspect analyzes currently running Windows 10, 8, and Windows 7 processes, comparing them against online databases of unwanted programs, performing a scan using the VirusTotal service, and displaying the network connections established by these processes (displaying (See also the reputation of the sites that own the corresponding IP addresses).

SuperAntiSpyware

And another independent tool for removing malware - SuperAntiSpyware (without the Russian interface language), available both free (including in the form of a portable version) and in a paid version (with the ability to protect in real time). Despite the name, the program allows you to find and neutralize not only Spyware, but also other types of threats - potentially unwanted programs, Adware, worms, rootkits, keyloggers, browser hijackers and the like.

Despite the fact that the program itself has not been updated for a long time, the threat databases continue to be regularly updated and, when checked, SuperAntiSpyware performs excellently, detecting some elements that other popular programs of this type do not "see".

You can download SuperAntiSpyware from the official website http://www.superantispyware.com/

Utilities for checking shortcuts of browsers and other programs

When fighting against AdWare in browsers and not only, it is worth paying special attention to browser shortcuts: often they, outwardly remaining the same, do not launch the browser exactly or launch it in a different way than it is done by default. As a result, you may see advertising pages, or, for example, a malicious browser extension may be constantly returned.

You can check browser shortcuts manually using only Windows tools, or you can use automatic analysis tools, such as the free Shortcut Scanner or Check Browser LNK.

For details on these shortcut checkers and how to do it manually, see the manual.

Chrome Cleanup Tool and Avast Browser Cleanup

One of the most common reasons for the appearance of unwanted ads in browsers (in pop-up windows, by clicking anywhere on any site) is malicious browser extensions and add-ons.

At the same time, according to the experience of responding to comments on articles on the topic of how to get rid of such ads, users, knowing about this, do not follow the obvious recommendation: disabling all extensions without exception, because some of them seem to them to be quite reliable, which they use for a long time (although in fact it often turns out that this particular extension became malicious - this is quite possible, it even happens that the appearance of advertising is caused by extensions that previously blocked it).

There are two popular utilities for checking for unwanted browser extensions.

The first of the utilities is the Chrome Cleanup Tool (the official program from Google, formerly called Google Software Removal Tool). Previously, it was available as a separate utility on the Google site, now it is part of the Google Chrome browser.

The second popular free program for checking browsers is Avast Browser Cleanup (checks unwanted add-ons in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers). After installing and running the utility, the specified two browsers are automatically scanned for extensions with a bad reputation and, if any, the corresponding modules are displayed in the program window with the ability to remove them.

You can download Avast Browser Cleanup from the official website https://www.avast.ru/browser-cleanup

Zemana AntiMalware

Zemana AntiMalware is another good anti-malware program that got noticed by the comments on this article. Among the advantages are effective cloud search (it finds something that AdwCleaner and Malwarebytes AntiMalware sometimes do not see), scanning of individual files, Russian language and a generally understandable interface. The program also allows you to protect your computer in real time (a similar feature is available in the paid version of MBAM).

One of the most interesting features is checking and removing malicious and suspicious extensions in the browser. Considering that such extensions are the most common cause of pop-up ads and simply unwanted ads from users, this opportunity seems to me just wonderful. In order to enable check of browser extensions, go to "Settings" - "Advanced".

Among the shortcomings - only 15 days work for free (however, taking into account the fact that such programs are mostly used in emergency cases, it may be sufficient), as well as the need for an Internet connection to work (at least for the initial check of the computer for Malware, Adware and other things).

You can download the free version of Zemana Antimalware for 15 days from the official website https://zemana.com/AntiMalware

HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a utility that I learned about relatively recently and which I really liked. First of all, the speed of operation and the number of detected threats, including those deleted, but which left their "tails" in Windows. The program does not need to be installed and it works very quickly.

HitmanPro is a paid program, but for 30 days you have the opportunity to use all the functions for free - this is enough to remove all junk from the system. When checking, the utility found all the malicious programs that I had previously specially installed and successfully cleaned the computer of them.

Judging by the reviews of readers left on my site in articles about removing viruses that cause ads in browsers (one of the most common problems today) and about returning a normal start page, Hitman Pro is the utility that helps the largest number of them solve problems with potentially unwanted and simply harmful software, and in combination with the next product in question, it works almost flawlessly.

You can download HitmanPro from the official website https://www.hitmanpro.com/

Spybot Search & Destroy

Spybot Search & Destroy is another effective way to get rid of unnecessary software and protect yourself from malware in the future. In addition, the utility has a wide range of additional features related to computer security. The program is in Russian.

In addition to searching for unwanted software, the utility allows you to protect the system by monitoring installed programs and changes in important system files and the Windows registry. In case of unsuccessful removal of malicious programs, resulting in crashes, you can roll back the changes made by the utility. You can download the latest version for free from the developer: http://www.safer-networking.org/spybot2-own-mirror-1/

I hope that the presented anti-malware tools will help you solve your computer and Windows problems. If there is anything to supplement the review, I am waiting in the comments.